PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. – Tropical Storm Nate formed Thursday morning off the coast of Nicaragua and could impact Florida's panhandle by the weekend.
Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center in Miami are calling for it to strengthen into a Category 1 hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico before possibly making landfall somewhere along Florida's panhandle or Louisiana.
By 5 p.m. Thursday, the storm system was 40 miles west-southwest of Puerto Lempira, Honduras, and was moving north-northwest at 10 mph with 40 mph maximum sustained winds.
Local 10 News chief certified meteorologist Betty Davis said Nate shifted slightly to the west, implicating a smaller portion of the Florida Panhandle.
"But around southern Louisiana, southeastern Louisiana -- these are the areas just touching that Florida Panhandle that have to be on guard for potential landfall," she said.
Be sure to download the Local 10 Hurricane Survival Guide to keep you safe before, during and after a storm.
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